Anderson signs with USD after weeklong wait

After getting cold feet for a week following allegations of game-fixing by former Toreros players, Christopher Anderson of Anaheim’s Canyon High did what he said he would and signed a letter of intent to attend USD.

“It’s huge for us after the last 10 days of what we’ve gone through,” Toreros coach Bill Grier said. “It’s uplifting to me and the staff and the players that this kid remained true and remained committed to his word.”

Anderson, a point guard listed at 5-foot-9, had orally committed to the Toreros in late February and initially planned to sign his national letter of intent on April 13, the first day of the spring signing period. News of the bribery scandal broke April 11, and Anderson opted to, in his words, “take every precaution” before signing.

“We researched what happened in some of the other (point-shaving) cases – Boston College, Arizona State, Toledo – and from what we can see they weren’t put on (NCAA) probation,” said Mark Anderson, his father. “We felt really comfortable with the process the school took, getting in front of it with the press conference, and from their conversations with us.

“We just felt comfortable with the integrity of the coaching staff and the administration. There was nothing to prolong any longer. Chris just wanted to get it done.”

Anderson, whose older brother Jerime plays for UCLA, was the Orange County Register’s player of the year after averaging 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for a Canyon High team that went 26-4. He also won the Wooden Award for the top prep player in Southern California in Division II.

His signing accounts for the lone remaining scholarship Grier had available, joining Torrey Pines High guard Nick Kerr, who committed during the November signing period, from the class of 2011. The Toreros return 11 scholarship players from last season’s 6-24 team.

Anderson wasn’t as heavily recruited as his brother, probably because of his size (some recruiting services list him at 5-7) and being a bit of a late bloomer. But perhaps more important to USD is that a game-fixing scandal that likely isn’t going away anytime soon didn’t scare off a coveted recruit.

“I totally understood where his parents were coming from,” Grier said. “I get that. They wanted to see how things were handled and the direction it was going.”

A week later, they were satisfied.

“We feel for those guys who are there,” Mark Anderson said. “It’s a bit of good news for them, and for us, to move forward. We’re ready to join the family and get on with the game of basketball.”